An illegal cache of 1,000 turtle eggs was discovered in the back of the trunk of a car along a stretch of highway in Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco.
Upon a routine inspection of the trunk, the officer noted a fishy smell emanating from a cardboard box. The agent opened it up to find ten plastic bags each filled with 100 speckled turtle eggs. The driver and passenger were both detained.
Besides their gastronomic appeal, what continues to drive demand for turtle eggs is a tenacious set of myths surrounding their extra-nutritional benefits. Believed in many quarters to be an aphrodisiac, turtle eggs – and turtle meat – also increase strength, virility and stamina, or so it is claimed. While it is illegal to sell the eggs in restaurants, the thieves still manage to find buyers, often at bustling, chaotic markets.